Adjustable reed in wind instruments



Apt-i128, 1925.

ADJUSTABLE REED IN WIND INSTRUMENTS 4 Filed March 11, 1924 INVENTOR wafie/g WWW/52% W. MAJESKI Patented Apr 28, 1925.

UNITED STATES WALTER MAJESKI, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

ADJUSTABLE REED IN WIND INSTRUMENTS.

Application filed March 11, 1924.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, l ViiL'rnn MAJEsKi, a citizen of Poland, and resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Reeds in Wind Instruments, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improved form of reed for saxophone or similar musical instrument.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a form of reed which can be readily adjusted to vary the clearance of the reed with respect to the mouthpiece of the instrument.

The mouthpiece of such instruments ar usually formed of hard rubber or other composition which is difiicult to cut away after the mouthpiece is formed, and are provided on the top side with a flat face. A reed usually formed of a thin plate of spruce, cane, or other vibratory wood is fitted to seat on this fiat face and is demountably secured in place by means of a suitable encircling clamp.

Numerous means have been suggested to adjust the reed to vary the interval between the vibratory end of the reed and the inlet opening formed in the flat surface of the mouthpiece; the usual practice being to cut away the mouthpiece to form a depression therein so that by varying the tension on the encircling clamp the vibratory end of the reed may be sprung into any desired adjustment relativ to the mouthpiece.

Any mutilation of the mouthpiece is ob jectionable, among other reasons, due to the fact that this practice is apt to create uncontrollable air leakages past the reed and, furthensome players do not desire this adjustable feature and if so, only to a limited extent, which necessitates different forms of recesses formed in the mounthpieces when marketed to meet the demands of different players.

Accordingly, another object of the inven tion is to provide a cheap, inexpensive means for obtaining any desired adjustment which can be applied to and used with, any of the conventional forms of mouthpieces now in general use without necessity of mutilating the mouthpiece.

I attain this object of the invention broadly by marketing a new form of reed so that with a standard form of mouthpiece dif- Serial No. 698,354.

ferent players can select that particular form of reed which best suits his requirements. In the form herein selected for discussion the reed resembles conventional forms as far as possible and differs simply in that the body portion is formed into a springy bridge designed to lit on the flat face of the mouthpiec and designed to be engaged by the conventional clamp to provide a minute adjustment of the vibratory tongue or end which overlaps the inlet opening in the mouthpiece.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will be in part obvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in part will be more fully set forth in the following particular description of one form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention also consists in certain new and novel features of construction and combination of parts here inafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional form of mouthpiece equipped with a preferred embodiment of the invention; and

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken axially through the mouthpiece shown in Figure 1.

1n the following description and in the claims, parts will be identified by specific names for convenience of expression but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar parts as the art will permit. h

In the drawings there is shown a musical instrument indicated symbolically by the tube 10 into which is fitted a mouthpiece 11. The mouthpiece is provided on its upper side with a flat face 12 through which extends the intake opening 12 all as is well known in devices of this character.

Positioned on the fiat face 12 is a single length reed 13 of vibratory material in general resembling the similar forms of reeds which are now sold as replacement parts of these instruments. The reed 13 comprises a relatively thick body portion 14 reducing in thickness to a vibratory tongue end 15. The body portion is is provided on the side facing the face 12 with a transversely extending groove or recess 16 which thus acts to form the body portion as a bridge portion. Encircling the bridge portion in a clamping ring 17 carrying on its upper side ill) causes the arching bridgeto, become de-.

a clamping screw--18 which is designed to act through-a Washer 19 and bear onthe brldge portion. The pressure of the screw pressed and inthis Way cause the unclamped portion of the reed to swing about theful crum 19 and thus adjust the vibratory tongue to vary the clearance 20 ,between the tongue and the adjacent edge of the mouthpiece. By a. careful manipulation. of

thescrewvany desired adjustment Within the range of lIlOVGHlGlll'H of J the vibratory end may be attained and, thus the clearance. can be adjusted from time to time by the playein \V'henthe. reed is damaged or Wornscrew '18 is loosened, the old :reed slipped outfroin the clamp and a 118W reedinsertedinpla'ce.

The reeds are made upin. sets having dif-v ferent vibratory characteristics and with some of the. bridgesections stiffer than others to meet demands for varying de*.

greesof rigidity and elasticity. Thesereeds are usually soldsin packages of about one? half dozen. to each package and thehpur' chaser selects that type of reed which best suits his particular requirements. Having thus described my invention,- 1 claim':

1. In a reed musical instrument, the combination ofa mouth-piece provided with a fiat face, a reed formed of one piece of re silient material and ineludinga relatively thick body portion reducing in thickness to- Wards one endto. form a vibratory tongue,

the body portion having its underside engaging the fiatface'of the mouth-piece, said underside provided with a recess extending transversely. entirely. across the same there- .by to cause the body portion to bridge across for the. mouth-piece. of unusical instruments comprising asingle length of vibratory niar terial being relative thick at one portion and diminishing in thicknesstherefrom. towards onetend to form a vibratory tongue, the

thick portion provided .on the face adapted to engage the mouth-pieeewith a recessexf tending transversely and entirely acrosssaid face.

Signedat New Yorkr-in. the county of New York: and State of New York this 3rd day of March A. D. 1924.

WALTER MAJES-KI. 

